Aviation embraces greener future

Sustainability in the aviation industry took the spotlight on day two of ATM. During the thought-provoking session titled ‘The Net-Zero Future of the Aviation Industry’, experts, including Brian Moran, Vice President of Global Sustainability Policy and Partnerships at Boeing, Yvonne Moynihan, Chief Corporate and ESG Officer at Wizz Air, and Dave Rouse, Chief Executive Officer at CarbonClick, came together to discuss the actions required to implement sustainable operations and future-proof the air travel industry.

Over the last two years, there has been a resurgence in air travel. However, flying leaves a large footprint. But today, considerable efforts are being taken by the industry to get to net zero.

Moran shared that Boeing, as an aircraft manufacturer, has been on the sustainability journey for several years and focuses on four strategies for decarbonisation.

These include fleet renewal with the latest generation aircraft that are quieter and more fuel efficient than their predecessors. This is followed by operational efficiency to ensure limited waste of fuel and time circling around airports and antiquated infrastructure. This can be achieved through digital capabilities inherent in airplanes to fly more efficiently.

The third, and, he stressed, the most important strategy for the midterm is using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The fourth strategy focuses on investing in tomorrow’s planes, which will make aviation safer and more sustainable.

He said: “Currently, we are testing 100 per cent SAF fuel gauge on the 777-200ER ecoDemonstrator to ensure that the fuel system is compatible with 100 per cent SAF-blend. We made the commitment that, by 2030, all of our planes will be 100 per cent SAF compatible, so we are working hard to achieve that goal.”

Moran added that, at present, there are around 24,000 airplanes in the sky and that number is going to double in the next 20 years. So, one of the significant challenges will revolve around decarbonising those to achieve Boeing’s goal of reaching net zero by 2050.

On the other hand, as an ultra-low-cost carrier, Moynihan highlighted that Wizz Air inherently has a sustainable business model and shed light on the company’s strategies.

She said: “We have been quite successful because we have embedded sustainability in our business strategy, operations and processes.

We are one of the fastestgrowing airlines in Europe, but, at the same time, we also managed to have the lowest emission intensity per passenger. Our Airbus A321neo aircraft’s new generation engines offer significant environmental benefits, making us the airline with the smallest environmental footprint per passenger. It has enabled us to decrease our emissions in the last year by 15 per cent.

“For the long term, we are looking to invest in hydrogen aircraft and are exploring what we can do in relation to SAF.”

During the pandemic, Wizz Air painted a success story by growing 160 per cent. When asked if this growth increased its carbon footprint, Moynihan said: “We are laser-focused on the technologies available to us and investing in them to accelerate decarbonisation. So, we have had to race to decarbonise faster than our growth. And so far, it’s working.”

Another often-discussed topic is offsetting, and Rouse shared that airlines today are increasingly incorporating it into their sustainability strategies. Whether through loyalty programmes or matching dollar for dollar with the customers, offsetting is helping airlines build loyalty and brand equity. However, travellers can be sceptical, so it is essential to build transparency throughout the process.

He said: “A good example is Etihad Airways, who wanted to instantly offer a real tangible impact of offsetting to their customers. As part of their programme, if you are offsetting through their loyalty points store, you get an instant track and trace receipt from the organisation you have donated to showing that they have received that money from Etihad and are deploying the funds for the project you have chosen to give back to. That makes a tangible difference to those customers who would decide to book with Etihad next time.”